RT Journal Article T1 Mucoadhesive Vaginal Discs based on Cyclodextrin and Surfactants for the Controlled Release of Antiretroviral Drugs to Prevent the Sexual Transmission of HIV A1 Notario Pérez, Fernando A1 Martín Illana, Araceli A1 Cazorla Luna, Raúl A1 Ruiz Caro, Roberto A1 Tamayo, Aitana A1 Rubio, Juan A1 Veiga Ochoa, María Dolores AB The strategies for developing vaginal microbicides to protect women against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) sexual transmission are constantly changing. Although the initial dosage forms required daily administration to offer effective protection, the trend then moved towards sustained-release dosage forms that require less frequency of administration in order to improve women’s compliance with the treatment. Nevertheless, another possible strategy is to design on-demand products that can be used in a coitally-dependent manner and only need to be administered immediately before intercourse to offer protection. Vaginal discs based on freeze-dried hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose gels have been developed for this purpose, containing two surfactants, i.e., sodium dodecyl sulphate and polysorbate 60, alone or in combination with 2-hydroxypropyl-β cyclodextrin, to achieve a formulation capable of incorporating both hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs. Several studies have been carried out to evaluate how the inclusion of these substances modifies the structure of gels (viscosity and consistency studies) and the porosimetry of the freeze-dried discs (scanning electron microscopy micrographs, mechanical properties, swelling behaviour). The drug release and mucoadhesive properties of the discs have also been evaluated with a view to their clinical application. The systems combining sodium dodecyl sulphate and 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin were found to be adequate for the vaginal administration of both Tenofovir and Dapivirine and also offer excellent mucoadhesion to vaginal tissue; these discs could therefore be an interesting option for a coitally-dependent administration to protect women against HIV transmission. PB MDPI SN 1999-4923 YR 2020 FD 2020-04-02 LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/6779 UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/6779 LA eng NO Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN)/FEDER DS Docta Complutense RD 17 ago 2024